Interminatum
by Omicron Persei
Summary: Rumpelstiltskin is known for his plans within plans. When Belle is returned to him saying that it was Regina who kidnapped and imprisoned her instead of her leaving him as he thought she did, Rumpelstiltskin is enticed to play the extremely powerful card
1. Prologue

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, guys this is my first published fanfiction, so be considerate, okay? I accept _constructive_ criticism, not blatant hate. Comment but don't make me regret ever publishing this story. Thank you for reading this story and this author's note, it is appreciated. ****Remember! Read and review!**

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_For this is the end. __  
__I've drowned and dreamt this moment,__  
__So overdue, I owe them.__  
__Swept away, I'm stolen._

**Skyfall – Adele**

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Once upon a time in a land which was full of monsters and magic, but no happy endings and where men and women lived forever, eternally hounded by cruel and sadistic old gods, a girl child was born, her parents rejoiced at the birth of a living child as they had suffered many miscarriages and stillborn before her, they named her Hadelinde, which meant 'battle shield', for she was the only child born in the village for many years and was to become the next warrior-woman for her village. A particularly impartial god, who did not take sides with his godly brethren smiled and laid a blessing upon the newborn babe as she was held for the first time in her mother's arms.

"Let this child be the last born only for war and fighting, never knowing peace lest it be in death," declared the god and set the message high in the stars for his brethren to see. Then, with a heavy heart, cast an infertility spell across the land, ridding the people of that land of fertility. The god watched as the war kept being fought, the little girl grew like a weed under the tutelage of her mother and father, gaining the adoration and respect of her village who thought of her as their own child. Her honey blonde hair shimmered in the breeze as she completed her sword and archery workouts in the small area that the village considered a town square. They had been lucky for the past 16 years; no gods had come to strike them down for simply existing on their plane of existence. There were no young boys in the girl's village, as no child had been born since her; so her hand in marriage was not sort after.

This isn't a love story, far from it. But the god that had granted her village peace had fell so deeply in love with her but all he could was watch her. He was ostracized from his godly family, he wept in sadness until an idea came to him one day. That day he gathered his magic about him and transformed himself into a large battle horse, a way to get close to the love of his long, long life. Wherever his hooves landed, sparks flew, and his eyes were golden instead of brown. He was midnight black and when his whinnies were voiced thunder and lightning fell.

"Oh, what a beautiful stallion! What beautiful thick mane and tail you have!" Hadelinde exclaimed when she found him in the forest close to her home when she was doing her share of the chores. She cherished him and he cherished her as well, they spent many an hour riding through the forest. Then she was called off to war as she had reached her 18th year, the year she must spend in conscription to her king and queen. The battle against the Old Gods had begun to deteriorate the society of this land and its people and the gods took advantage of that.

They annihilated the very realm that the land was in, sentencing every living creature to a quick but meaningless death. Save for two: Hadelinde and her battle horse. The god had whisked them away just before the annihilation had begun, to a land where happy endings were frequent and people could die. Hadelinde only assumed her inborn magic's had surfaced, responding to her fear, she didn't realise it was the god that had kept them safe in the year of conscription. She did not assume, but she was far from naïve. She had done bad things during her time in the forces of her king, and knew what her magic and skills could do if they fell into the hands of the wrong person or people.

She chose a suitable cave, just outside of the Enchanted Forest, for them to enter an eternal sleep so none could wield the magic that held them in eternal youth. Oh, they were safe from ordinary people, her magic barred normal people from seeing the cave, but magical people could see through the enchantments that protected them. She cast the sleeping spell with a heavy heart, sitting on top of her horse with enough pride she could as she could muster for herself and the memory of her people. The pair were set in stone, but they only slept. Little did they know, a dangerous magical person had witnessed their crossover into Fairy Tale Land; they called him the Dark One.

But his real name is Rumpelstiltskin, and he planned to use them when the time was right. When the situation was dire enough to call upon an immortal foot soldier that was trained to kill and only kill and a battle horse that was a god. They had been sleeping for 200 years under his watch, he wasn't about to wake them up. The Dark One wasn't stupid, but Regina's curse threat had wrecked all his plans. Then Regina went through with her threat and cursed them all, so he loosened the magic surrounding the cave and let it be taken under the curse as well. He cackled in his cell under the castle as the curse wafted over them, he could almost hear the squabbling of the newborn saviour from here.

**To be continued.**


	2. Chapter 1

The rage and surprise that bubbles inside of Rumpelstiltskin when Belle, _his_ Belle, had told him that it was Regina who had hidden her from him for 28 years, is nothing compared to the adrenaline and excitement that burst through his veins as he pours the vial of true love magic into the town well. His plan is coming together and the imp side of him that was buried, but is always there, sneers and giggles in agreement. Soon, soon, they will be awoken and his plan will be halfway complete, as long as Emma, Snow and their little band of misfits don't interrupt the process. He can feel Belle's curiosity beside him as the purple mist begins to flow out of the well and creeps towards the town. The mist moves towards the sky and Belle moves closer to him, he relishes the first contact he's had with her in more than 28 years.

"I-I don't understand…", her distinctly accented voice stutters as the well is completely hidden by the magical mist. He leans on his walking stick and wraps his arms around her.

"You're in a land without magic, Belle, and I'm bringing it. Magic is coming!" he replies, grinning like a child in a candy store. She turns and looks at him in confusion, her eyes flicking towards his face and back at the well rapidly, like she can't believe her eyes. She probably can't, considering she remembers where they come from and is all of a sudden thrown into a word completely different to the one she was born in. He continues to grin as the mist swirls around them; he is playing with it, feeling it start to fill up the empty stores within his mind. He directs it towards the hidden cave where the Soldier and the horse still slumber. He starts the magical process whilst staring into the mist.

"Why?" She continues to stare at him, as if looking into his soul. She probably is trying to, not that she would find anything other than darkness there, nothing good survived after she left and Bae… entered the portal to a world without magic. He had hoped it was this one, but his searching was for naught, he couldn't find him.

"Why? Because magic….", he turns and stares at her directly into her blue eyes, "is power!" A crack of thunder accompanies his speech, ringing out across the whole town, like a harbinger of misfortune.

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Rumpelstiltskin isn't sure he can do what he promised Belle, not give into his hate for Regina and kill her. Wasn't it a saying, _promises are made to be broken_? He can't stop the process now, as he stands in the cave that has housed these two for over 250 years, watching the mud drip onto the ground revealing skin, armour and fur. He remembers asking a fellow magic user in the guise of a young witch, what happens when you put someone to sleep for a few centuries. Her statement was quiet profound, _if you wish to control the person you are going to do this to, so be it, but remember that if a portion of themselves remain it can help keep them on your side. _So he is going to persuade them to join him in his quest for revenge, even though he promised Belle he wouldn't. The last section of mud dripped away revealing a young woman's face.

He isn't easily surprised, but this throws him for a loop. He wasn't expecting a lady under all those clothes, really. The horse snorts and the woman's eyes narrow at him, and he takes that as a signal for him to start talking before he gets gouged in someplace he would rather keep.

"I assume you are wondering why you are awake?" He queries as he makes a slow journey closer to the pair, his crooked leg causing him to limp. He keeps the woman's eyes in his line of sight, as she tracks his every twitch and movement.

"Well, dearie, you've been asleep for about two hundred and twenty eight years and now it's time to wake up because I have a job for you." He grins as he speaks; picturing Regina's surprise as someone resembling her own black clad soldiers came galloping down the main street of her modern town.

"And why should I do this job for you, whoever you are?" Her voice has an accent that is lilting and rugged at the same time, her voice muffled slightly by centuries upon centuries of no use. Her hands flexing towards her sword, he sighs inwardly. Why must everyone think he is going to hurt them? The beast still lives within him, but even it wouldn't hurt anyone unless they back out of a deal.

"Because you were, _are_, a soldier and soldiers protect people. There happens to be a witch that is causing _all sorts_ of pain and suffering for the poor people of this land. Including myself, I might add. I am not forcing you to do anything, because I know you won't do anything you don't want to do." The horse stamps one of his front hooves against the solid rock ground and sparks fly in all directions. The armoured hand rose to rub the only uncovered part of the neck of the horse.

"A witch you say? I would call you a warlock. I can feel the magic stirring around you. But, you have not attacked me yet or tried to enchant me into doing your bidding I may accept your offer. What's in it for me if I do this?"

"Oh, well…" He brings his hand up and rests it on his cheek, grinning like a Cheshire cat, he laughs to himself at the hilarity of it all. "The chance to kill an evil queen, restore unity to a land and…the ability to have whatever you would like in this material world that we do so stand in right now."

There is a sceptical look in her cerulean eyes and a sneer on her lips that doesn't suit her in the slightest. Slowly, after a matter of seconds, her lips spread into a slow growing grin. "You don't know I have magic myself, do you?"

"What are you talking about, dearie?"

"I have innate magic, from my land. It is stronger than what you would normally get in a low level witch in your world." She enunciated clearly, as if teaching a child.

"Ah, I see. That's all well and good, dearie, but this witch is evil. And I know evil. Whatever magic you have is nothing against her. But, we are not here to argue over magic. You're off to kill a queen and I'm off to see my love." He smiles a warning to her not to argue with him.

"Fine, warlock, imp, whatever you are, I will do it so long as you call me Soldier and not 'dearie'. I hate it." She threw a half-hearted salute his way and started walking out of the cave opening and into Storybrooke Forest.

"Wait! How will I find you, _Soldier_?" He partially sneers the name, treading carefully around the puddles of mud and towards the opening which she had already exited.

"You won't find me, imp. I'll find _you_ and that is the way it shall always be."


End file.
